Citizen as a Verb A theme throughout the planning process for the 2035 Community Vision Land Use Plan was how to make sure the work would be acceptable to those who didn’t participate. Agreement was reached among participants that it is each citizens’ duty to participate and create a plan that they are happy with. Citizenship is an active, not passive, endeavor. Because the outreach process for the previous Land Use Plan provided so many ways and opportunities for people to get involved, simply complaining about the Plan is not an option. Take responsibility and be a part of the implementation team. Although we all wish our tax dollars bought us unlimited Town services, the reality is that there
Several activity centers identified on the Future Land Use Map provide opportunities to grow and innovate in Fuquay-Varina, and will evolve over time in terms of land use mix, density and intensity, home choices, transportation options, etc. These are the areas where the Town should emphasize public and private investment — increasing infrastructure capacity, improving proximity of activity centers to nearby neighborhoods, and encouraging private investment in the Town — to support continued growth and economic prosperity into the future. Continued growth is an important part of the rightsizing solution for the Town as it tries to remain just big enough (but not too big) in terms of community character, lifestyle preservation, available infrastructure, and economic vitality. Municipalities that continue to grow ― no matter how slowly they continue to grow ― avoid increased taxes to pay for similar services, and do not experience reduced services to meet increased operating and maintenance needs associated with aging infrastructure because of budget shortfalls. Growth benefits the Town in terms of new jobs and services and creates an energy and buzz for Fuquay-Varina as a place actively looking forward to its future. Nonetheless, the Land Use Plan does not promote new development as a means solely to generate additional revenue. New development should be purposeful and closely-tied to the community values, lifestyle preferences, and economic needs highlighted in the Plan. It should reinforce the unique, one-of-a-kind experience associated with being in Fuquay-Varina and its charm, character, and scale that has earned it a great reputation. New development anticipated for the Town may add stress to existing infrastructure and simple expansion of facilities to add more capacity is not always feasible. It is important that future growth be targeted in places where capacity exists or is planned for expansion in the future.
is more work to be done than staff to do it. This is the reality of the new economy. All of these great ideas take time, money, and capacity. For this Plan to become a reality, a large number of people must care enough to get involved and help execute it. Understand the element of time. At first glance, the Land Use Plan can seem ambitious, daunting, and even a little frightening. Some big ideas are included that would bring about transformative change. Not everything in the Plan will happen at once, or perhaps at all. Some things will happen right away; other ideas will take years or decades to come to fruition. Ultimately, the success of the Land Use Plan will be measured by its implementation. Challenge yourselves and your elected officials to make this community vision a reality.
Thinking Big Picture The 2040 Land Use Plan is part of a library of plans developed by the Town to guide future growth, conservation, and development. It is intended to relate to all other Town plans, policies, and ordinances in place or currently underway, and provide guidance to other government agencies preparing plans or programming projects that may affect the Town’s planning area. Implementation of the Land Use Plan generally occurs in more-detailed plans, studies, ordinances, and budgets that follow, which hone the vision and big ideas in the Land Use Plan into specific rules, requirements, or initiatives needed to guide future growth, development, or preservation interests. How to Use the Plan Be a champion of the Plan even if you don’t like ALL of the ideas. The vision statement and guiding principles in the Land Use Plan reflect the ideas of members of the community and include different points of view — a bit of something for everyone. You don’t have to love everything in the Plan, but consider the big picture and whether the Plan as a whole takes Fuquay-Varina in the right direction. Be a champion of the Plan even if all of your ideas aren’t included. The Land Use Plan is the culmination of an extensive and transparent community planning process for the 2035 Community Vision Land Use Plan. It is possible that not all ideas were included in this document because (A) there was disagreement on the topic and the decision was made to go with the consensus of the community, (B) the idea was tested and deemed to be unrealistic at this time, or (C) there was simply not enough room to include ALL of the good ideas. But remember, there is something in this Plan for everyone to be excited about!
‘Somone is sitting in the shade today because someone else planted a seed a long time ago.” - Warren Buffet
2040 Community Vision Land Use Plan Public Draft | March 2022
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Fuquay-Varina Land Use Plan
Chapter 1: Introduction
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